Irish Mocha Brownie Shooters

Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, right? OK, maybe not…but I love to celebrate my Irish friends! That’s why I made them these boozy little brownie shooters for dessert. Why shooters? Because they’re minis, although it’s hard to tell in the photo below. If it weren’t for the clouds of Bailey’s buttercream, you would *almost* be able to pop them in your mouth with one bite.

Oh, heck. Try anyway. It’s a party, after all!

I’m going to be honest here and admit that I used a Ghirardelli mix for my brownies. I’m a scratch girl 99% of the time, but when I’m also making buttercream and ganache, I cave. (And you don’t want a recipe with 1000 steps, right?) So, I’m listing the mix in the ingredients, but if you’re feeling scratchy, try this homemade Espresso Brownies recipe from Bakepedia.

Irish Mocha Brownie Shooters

Brownies:

One Ghirardelli Brownie Mix (substitute strong coffee or espresso for the water in the baking directions)

Bailey’s Buttercream Icing:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3–4 cups confectioners’ sugar

4–5 Tbsp Bailey’s Irish Cream

Irish Whiskey Ganache:

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream

1–2 teaspoons Jameson Irish whiskey

Brownies: Prepare brownies according to package instructions, substituting strong coffee or espresso for water. Bake in mini muffin tins (coated with nonstick spray) for about 12 minutes or until still very soft, but done in the middle. (Do not overbake, or you’ll get really crunchy little brownies.)

Icing: While brownies are cooling, place butter in a large bowl. Using either a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip butter at increasing speed until it is light and fluffy. Add sugar, one cup at a time, mixing on low speed. Once icing starts to thicken, start adding Bailey’s a little at a time and blend until smooth. You may have to alternate between sugar and Bailey’s until you get a good texture. If it forms nice peaks and holds its shape, it’s perfect. Once brownies are cool, split each carefully and fill with icing. Place tops back on and give each another swirl of icing.

Ganache: Put chocolate in a small heatproof bowl. Heat heavy cream in a small pan over low/med heat until it simmers. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate; stirring constantly until melted and smooth. Add whiskey to taste; stir. Allow ganache to cool until it reaches a glaze-like consistency. Drizzle over cupcakes using a spoon or piping bag. (Makes 24 mini brownies.)

I was not sure what i was going to see when I saw shooters but these are amazing. We are having a recipe linky tomorrow showcasing st pats stuff if you want to join us. Will be live after 11 pm EST tonight.maria @ close tohome recently posted..St. Patrick’s Day Dessert- Lemon Pound Cake Recipe